Legal People ...

The Patriot Week Foundation is pleased to announce that Carl Marlinga has joined its Board of Directors.  Patriot Week Foundation co-founder and chair, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren, made the announcement.

Marlinga has served for almost 40 years as the Macomb County prosecutor, an assistant U.S. attorney, and as a judge on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court and Macomb County Probate Court. He most recently was appointed by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead the Elder Abuse Task Force as a special assistant attorney general.

“I am thrilled to join a group that gets beyond the extreme partisanship of the current political climate to celebrate the documents and principles that bind us  together as one nation,” remarked Marlinga. “The vision of the Founders, blended with their incredible courage, birthed a nation and changed the world. The concept that governments exist only by the consent of the governed was a game changer in human history. We owe it to those who created this experiment in selfgovernance, and to all who died to preserve it, to realize that no matter the issue, the things that unite us far outclass our transient differences.”

The Patriot Week Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization.

Co-created in 2009 by Judge Michael Warren and his then 10-year-old daughter Leah, Patriot Week renews America’s spirit by deepening the appreciation of the First Principles, Founding Fathers and other Patriots, vital documents and speeches, and flags.  

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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP has welcomed Ashley E. Racette as an associate.  

Racette joins Warner’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group with a focus on commercial litigation. Racette has worked in the automotive industry assisting suppliers with various contractual disputes, temporary restraining order preliminary injunctions involving breach of contract claims, and other emergent industry matters. She is based in the firm’s Detroit office.  

Racette previously spent six years as an attorney with Kerr Russell in Detroit, where she accrued broad litigation experience. She was named to the Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch for commercial litigation in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Racette received her Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in administration of justice from University of Louisville. She earned her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

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Butzel associate attorney Everardo Tapia is one of 22 attorneys in the state named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2023 Class of “Up & Coming Lawyers.” The attorneys will be honored during a luncheon on April 21 at the Detroit Marriott Troy and profiled in an upcoming edition of Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Tapia focuses his practice on the firm’s Automotive, Business and Commercial Litigation, and Intellectual Property Groups. He also has been working with Butzel’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Specialty Team.
His experience also includes serving as national discovery counsel for clients in the automotive industry in addition to representing major telecommunications and energy companies in intellectual property litigation.

Tapia serves as treasurer-elect of the Hispanic Bar Association of Michigan (HBAM). Over the last several months, he has been working with Hispanic law students and developing programming for young members of the Hispanic bar.

Tapia has earned recognition for his pro bono work representing underserved members of the community in family and criminal matters. He also volunteers as a “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit.

Tapia received a B.S. in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

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Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Denise Ilitch to the State of Michigan Investment Board.

 Ilitch is an owner of Ilitch Family Companies, president of Ilitch Enterprises LLC, and currently serves on the of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. She earned a bachelor of arts in political science and government from University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

Ilitch is appointed to represent institutional investment or extensive financial experience for a term expiring November 26, 2025. She succeeds James Nicholson whose term has expired.

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Personal injury and civil rights law firm Moss & Colella is pleased to announce that attorney Matthew McCann has joined the firm as senior appellate counsel.  The announcement was made by firm co-founders David Moss, senior partner, and Vince Colella, managing partner.

McCann’s responsibilities at Moss & Colella will include personal injury and civil rights litigation and all aspects of appellate cases. Additionally, he will expand the firm’s practice scope to include the legal representation of students with special needs and their families seeking full access to educational opportunities, services and resources.

Immediately prior to joining Moss & Colella, and following his 2021 relocation to Michigan, McCann was an associate principal at a greater Detroit commercial litigation firm. He spent the first 15 years of his legal career in the New York City metropolitan area.

McCann has experience in both insurance defense and plaintiff-side product liability. He represented insureds in navigating the product recall process and advised insurers on the liability exposure stemming from policies covering entities whose products had caused bodily injury to customers throughout the country. His direct defense work included product liability actions in which plaintiffs alleged significant personal injury stemming from product design and product manufacturing defects.

McCann has a legal niche in representing the families of students with autism and other special needs to help navigate the educational system and advocate for a complete education and related services for their child. While in New York, he worked on a team that handled all stages of federal litigation, from pleadings to negotiating settlements on behalf of students and parents. He is a member of the Counsel of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), whose mission is to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families and secure high quality educational services and promote excellence in advocacy. He is also a board member of MIA ECRES, which provides comprehensive non-legal advocacy and legal representation to Michigan children for their educational needs.

His background also includes leading the research, investigations and litigation of complex commercial, administrative, civil rights and white-collar criminal proceedings, where he defended individuals and entities in SEC and FINRA enforcement and disciplinary actions and handled private securities litigation disputes matters on behalf of both defrauded investors and defendants alleged to have violated federal securities laws. As an outgrowth of this experience in the securities industry, McCann also represented employees in the financial sector in negotiating severance agreements, litigating the contours and extent of non-compete agreements and securing equitable buyouts of stock options.

Before entering the private sector, McCann served as a law clerk to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals Staff Attorney’s Office for two years following graduation from law school. In that role, he reviewed appellate briefs as well as the factual record on appeal and wrote bench memorandums advising three-judge panels of the court on the controlling law and operative facts in cases before them. He has had the opportunity to work on state, federal, and administrative appeals during each of his private sector roles following his time at the Second Circuit.

McCann earned a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Policy Analysis & Management from Cornell University. He is an author and also served as an adjunct professor of legal writing at Brooklyn Law School. While a practicing attorney in New York, he was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star in White Collar Criminal Defense and Employment Litigation and as a Super Lawyer in Business Litigation and Education Litigation. He is licensed to practice law in both Michigan and New York and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan. While in New York, he was active in a variety of professional legal associations including the New York City Bar Association.

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The Dobrusin Law Firm is pleased to announce that Founding Shareholder Eric Dobrusin has been named to the 2023 class for the prestigious Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame.

Dobrusin has been the driving force behind The Dobrusin Law Firm for more than 20 years. He concentrates his practice primarily on patent counseling and strategic patent prosecution, particularly on materials science, biomedical, food processing and packaging, and automotive technologies.

Throughout his career, Dobrusin has received numerous honors, including  previous recognition from Michigan Lawyers Weekly as one of its “Leaders in the Law.”

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The Detroit Regional Chamber recently announced the Detroit Region’s ninth cohort of the Young American Leaders Program (YALP) at Harvard Business School (HBS). Dykema is proud to share that Boyd White III has been selected to participate in this year’s program.

YALP aims to improve U.S. competitiveness and develop leaders who can execute cross-sector collaboration to build workforce skills, improve schools, restore infrastructure, and take other key actions to restore and reimagine communities.

In addition to a four-day convening at HBS this June, members of the Detroit cohort will attend the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference through the Mackinac Future Leaders program.

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Brooks Kushman is pleased to announce that Shareholder Michael Turner has been elected by his peers to serve as the firm’s new co-chair of Prosecution. Turner joined the firm in 2001 and has been a member of the team since then, particularly focusing on streamlining processes, training, and mentoring.

Since joining the firm, Turner has taken a proactive role in mentorship, training, and professional development. He has also taken a leadership role within the firm to recruit new patent professionals. As one example, he partnered with Kettering University Career Program to encourage students to seek a career in intellectual property.

“I am excited for this opportunity and look forward to this next chapter. While our patent department is filled with many talented professionals, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in a leadership role and further advance the department and our firm,” says Turner. “I look forward to working with everyone to best serve our clients and bring fresh ideas to continue to improve our already outstanding reputation.”

Turner has more than 20 years of patent prosecution experience, working with clients to manage domestic and foreign patent portfolios. His practice focuses on mechanical matters, electromechanical matters, systems, business methods, and designs. His industry background in robotics and automation provides him with experience in various technologies and manufacturing processes, which he utilizes to protect his client’s intellectual property rights.

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently announced the appointment of Wolfgang Mueller to the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission.

Mueller is a licensed attorney and owner of Mueller Law Firm. He is also a practicing martial artist and holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do. Mueller earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, respectively, as well as a law degree from the Detroit College of Law (now known as Michigan State University College of law).

Mueller is appointed to represent Mixed Martial Arts for a term commencing February 23, 2023 and expiring June 5, 2024. He succeeds John Toth who has resigned.

The Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission is the successor to the Michigan Boxing Commission and is responsible for the regulation of professional boxing and mixed martial arts. The commission and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs are vested with management, control, and jurisdiction over all professional boxing, professional or amateur mixed martial arts, or unarmed combat contests or events conducted in this state.  

This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.